Do Not Go Gentle
by BlueWinterMoon
Summary: Post War. The former Fire Lord Ozai is to be executed within a fortnight. Princess Azula may have the same fate. For the time being, she is alone in her quiet, cold cell. When the Avatar and his friends come to visit her, how will she deal with it?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

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**Do not go gentle into that good night,**

**Old age should burn and rave at the close of day;**

**Rage, rage against the dying of the light.**

**-_Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night_, By Dylan Thomas**

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**Visitor 1**

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It was decreed by Fire Lord Zuko that the former Fire Lord Ozai would be executed by means of firing squad within a fortnight, due to various crimes against the Fire Nation.

Princess Azula's fate is still to be determined.

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Azula knew who her first visitor would be. She just _knew_.

She sat in her cell. The one she had been forced into _that _day. The day that her life changed. The one when the people began to think of her in a different light. When the sun had set that momentous day, everyone of the Fire Lands did not think of her as their beloved princess anymore. No, they thought of her as what she really was.

A monster.

Robbed of her sanity, chained, and put somewhere where she could do no damage. Somewhere like this cell.

She resided in the corner, chained of course, staring at the wall. She heard the large door at the end of the hall open. Her head didn't turn to look at the person that walked toward her cell. But she didn't have to.

The Avatar radiated optimism and cheerfulness the minute he stepped into the door.

Azula hated it.

The Avatar stopped when he came to the place that caged her. To Azula's surprise, he sat, crossing his legs in a way one would if they are about to meditate. But he did not close his eyes and journey to the Spirit World. Instead, he stared at her.

The old Azula would have not of been irked at someone staring at her. She would have thought it to be an act of admiration of her prowess and beauty.

This Azula felt as if the Avatar was burning a hole in her back, giving him power to look into her soul. She didn't like it.

Her head whirled around sharply. "What do you want?" she asked menacingly.

"I want to talk."

"About what? My coward of a brother?" Azula turned her head back around.

He shook his tattooed head. "No. Your father."

Her eyes narrowed. "And why would I talk to you about that?"

The Avatar responded quietly after a moment of silence. "Because I feel like I can help you. No, I _know _that I can help you. If you will let me."

Azula let out a shrill, short laugh. "Me? Have your help? You seemed to have lost your mind." She laughed again. "Oh wait...that's me."

"I know I can help you, if you would just-"

Azula suddenly jumped from her spot in the corner. Her hands wrapped around the bars that separated them. Her eyes blazed in fury, causing the Avatar the step back.

Despite her enraged looks, she spoke lowly in a harsh tone. "You. Do not. Know anything," Azula said, "about me, or about anything else." If she could Firebend, his face would have been burnt off.

That seemed to have snapped something in the Avatar, for he quickly stepped forward again, his face inches away from the princess's. His gray eyes hardened. "I know that you angry. So angry, that you have lost control. But if I'm going to help you, I need to know the reason for your anger."

She didn't say anything. She just retreated back to her corner of her cell and sat down, facing away from him. Aang decided that he needed a new tactic.

"You know, this is probably the first time we have ever had a real conversation," he said.

Azula did not say anything. But she knew that, in fact, this was the first time that that had actually talked to each other. The only times that they had ever met were in battle. She would never had even thought about holding a conversation with the Avatar. He was the enemy.

He still is.

Azula remembered the times when she sought the Avatar. Especially the times when she fought him and his companions. She had not thought they would have been as skilled as they were. No wonder her brother couldn't catch the Avatar. Of course, she would never share her opinion of the Avatar's skill, but it was still in her mind. She thought about it often.

That's all there was to do. Think. About her past, and about her present. She could not think about her future, for she didn't know if-

"Azula? Azula, are you listening to me?" The Avatar's broke her thoughts. She rolled her eyes.

"No," she replied shortly.

The Avatar sighed. Azula heard him get up from his position of the ground. He walked towards the door. She turned her head slightly and looked at him from the corner of her eye. When he got to the exit, he turned his head and looked back over his shoulder.

"I wish you would let me help you, Azula. But even though you won't, I want you to remember something," he said. "When you come to terms with what you are dealing with, let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive."

Aang had a small smile on his face after he said that. He remembered the night he told that to Katara. It helped her when she dealt with Yon Rha, and he hoped that it would help the irascible Fire Princess.

As the Avatar left, Azula forgot everything that he had said, and went back to her thoughts.

In reality, his words was already ingrained into her brain.

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**A/N: Hello everyone! Okay, I know that I should be working on my other story, but this idea wouldn't stay out of my head. So here's a bit of information about this fic:**

**I am loosely basing it off of the poem _Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night_ by Dylan Thomas. It will be 6 chapters, with each chapter corresponding with a stanza of the poem.**

**That's all for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

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**Though wise men at their end know dark is right,**

**Because their words had forked no lightning they**

**Do not go gentle into that good night.**

**_Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night_, By Dylan Thomas**

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**Visitor 2**

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The next person who had come to visit her surprised Azula greatly.

Two days had gone by since the Avatar had visited her. She tried with all her might to forget their conversation.

But she couldn't.

The Avatar was wise; Azula would give him that much. But he was too...willing. He wanted to get inside her mind, to try to feel what she felt. He tried to help. He tried to _care._

Azula thinks him to be foolish. She knows that when you care, you become weak.

You will just get burned in the end.

The arrival of this visitor had not been much appreciated. Azula had been meditating, something that the doctors made her do every once in awhile. She supposed they thought it would calm her.

But it actually does the opposite. Luckily, Azula is good at hiding things.

She was sitting on the cold ground when she was disturbed. Voices came from outside the large, concrete door that sealed the hallway. Such noise would not have been heard but any other, normal inhabitants of the prison.

But Azula was not just a normal prisoner.

The voice that she heard was one of a young girl, and you would have thought any human like that to be delicate.

But the voice was anything _but._

"I can do it myself!" barked the girl's voice. Azula thought she had heard it before.

Another voice said something in a hushed tone, too soft for Azula to make out it's owner, or to tell what had been said.

"Ridiculous! I'm a master earthbender! No to mention the Rumble Champion three years running now!"

The other person said something else. The voice got a bit louder, obviously losing patience.

"Don't care. Now get out of my way. I'm going in. We can do it the easy way, or the hard way. You choose."

A pause, then a loud sigh. Then, the large door opened. Azula didn't open her eyes as she heard the footsteps come closer.

The person dropped to the floor, not saying a word. It was so quiet that Azula could her the girl's soft breathing. Then:

"Evening, Crazy-Cakes."

Azula slowly opened her eyes, narrowing them. The sight in front of her would have been comical, but Azula was not amused right now.

The earthbending girl was sitting on her back, arms crossed behind her head, face tilted upwards. She was smirking, too. Azula knew that the floor hadn't been cleaned in ages. But the girl seemed not to mind.

As Azula sat with her legs crossed she studied the girl. Images flooded her mind.

It was one of the Avatar's companions. The blind one. The one who somehow fought exceptionally well, even with her disability. The one who had the nerve to mock the princess of the Fire Nation. And even with said princess glaring at her like she was the one who had taken her firebending, the girl did not seem afraid.

And Azula found it fascinating.

"Guess you're not much of a talker, huh? Or maybe your messed up brain can't comprehend what I'm saying," the girl said.

Azula's eye twitched. "I can understand you perfectly," she snapped.

"Well that's lovely. I hope it's okay that I joined you. Though it's not like you had much of a choice, seeing as-

"What do you want? I have better things to do than talk to some dirty little peasant," Azula said.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

That made Azula close her mouth.

A moment of silence passed before the girl talked again. "Well, to answer your question, I'm here to give you a 'therapy' session. The girl made gestures with her fingers when she said 'therapy'.

Azula gave a short laugh, then smirked. "Your friend already tried that," she said. Then she added, " and failed."

"I _know_. That's because he's too soft. You should have seen him during his earthbending training. Yeesh."

Azula did not reply. The Avatar learning the elements wasn't anything she really cared about, or wanted to remember.

The girl changed her position. She now lay on her stomach, holding her face up with her elbows, feet kicking in the air.

"So I hear you're gonna die," the girl said bluntly.

On the inside, Azula was livid. How dare the earhtbender say something like that to her? On the outside though, her expression didn't change.

The girl continued, "So's you're pyscho father. But you must know that it's inevitable right? That must be why you aren't trying to break out of here. Either way, you're probably not gonna last long."

"There's nothing you can do," she added, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

It was if the girl had read Azula's mind.

"Shut up!" Azula yelled. The other girl winced.

They were both silent again. Each girl was wary of the other. Azula looked at the girl cautiously. Her milky green eyes stared ahead blankly, but her brows were furrowed, as if something was puzzling her.

"You know," she finally said after awhile, "I used to be in the same position as you are now."

Azula raised a delicate eyebrow. She didn't want to admit it, but she was interested. How could the tiny earthbender ever have had to deal with what she does now?

The girls face softened. "I used to live with my parents. And I loved them. But it was as if I was invisible. Anything I said went unnoticed. All they cared about was that their precious little blind daughter was helpless."

Her voice had hardened. "That meant I was confined to my house, only going out to the gardens. Always being watched. Not having a say. Not being able to do anything for myself. Completely, utterly helpless."

She stopped. Her voice trembled when she spoke again. "But they were wrong." She suddenly stood up. Her hands were clenched. "I'm not helpless. I'm a master at my element. What I have to say is important." She slowly hung her head. "But they had to learn that at a price."

Azula took the information in. Somehow, the earthbender knew that her story related to Azula's.

And that scared Azula the most.

Azula closed her eyes, starting to return to to her meditating, knowing that this certain visit was over.

"By the way," the girl said, "the name's Toph." Azula secretly admired how proud her voice was.

"And why should I care, peasant?" Azula replied in a condescending tone.

"Oh, _I'm sorry_, let me rephrase that," she said, not hiding her sarcasm. "_Bei Fong._ I'm Toph Bei Fong."

Toph could not see Azula's eyes snap open and widen.

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**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited! You guys rock! I hope you like this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

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**Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright**

**Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,**

**Rage, rage against the dying of the light.**

**_Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night_, By Dylan Thomas**

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**Visitor 3**

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Azula wished she had her bending.

Nobody thought that she knew why her firebending was gone. But she did. Every morning she gets her breakfast with a cup of tea. The meal was normal, and quite bland. The tea, though, had something in it that left her unable to bend. She could tell from the first day that the tea had been different. It also must work for a day only, because she got the same tea every time. She knew because it had an odd taste.

Even though she cannot control her element, she still practiced the forms. They made for a great distraction.

Surprisingly, the earthbender had left without saying another word to Azula. After that visit, Azula had become even more fascinated with the blind girl. She had said that she was of the Bei Fong family, which was one of the wealthiest families in the Earth Kingdom.

What intrigued Azula the most was that the girl had not snapped at her when she was called a peasant, which she certainly was _not_. Azula knew that she would be enraged if she were to be purposely unrecognized as someone of royalty or high-class.

As Azula went through her forms, she did not mess up once. She imagined that the blue flames were spouting from her fists and feet, lighting up the dimly lit cell. No matter how hard she tried, though, nothing changed. She stopped and let out a cry of frustration.

Azula punched her right hand out hard, but nothing happened. She scowled, and then went to go sit in the corner, her back facing the cell bars. She brought her hands up to her face and sighed. She didn't even hear the gigantic concrete door open. But she did, however, hear the voice of the person who entered.

"Azula," a feminine voice said softly.

Azula's head snapped up suddenly, her eyes wide. She knew by heart the voice of the person who had been a major leader of her downfall. The one who ended her freedom, and started all of _this_.

The waterbender.

Azula tried to stay calm. It took all of her willpower not to scream at the girl. She didn't look at her, knowing that if she did, it wouldn't be good.

"Azula," the girl said again, trying to get the princess's attention.

Azula bit down on her lips to keep from speaking. She couldn't talk to the waterbender. Not if she didn't want to do anything that could come back to bite her later, if she ever was to get out of the place, if she was to live.

She heard the girl sit down, probably folding her hands in her lap in a peaceful gesture. The girl was predictable like that.

The waterbender then tried to get her to speak again. "So," she said conversationally, "how are you doing?"

Azula bit her lip even harder to stop a retort from coming out. The girl had nerve. Coming to visit her two years later, wanting to discuss Azula's well-being? Azula's hands clenched into fists.

But she reminded herself to stay calm. It could be the only thing that might save her.

The other girl sighed. She knew this would be hard. Zuko had reminded her of it before she came in. She remembered how he pulled her into the corner, his warm hand gripping her arm firmly yet still softly.

"Be careful, Katara," he had whispered in her ear. "You don't know what to expect from her, and getting her to talk might be hard. Just make sure to think before you speak." She had only nodded, and then went in.

Azula remained silent. She knew that the other girl's patience was thinning by the way she lightly tapped her hand on her thigh. Maybe if Azula stayed that way the girl would leave.

A minute passed. Then two. Azula heard the other girl cluck her tongue in annoyance. Good. Maybe just a bit longer...

"I _know _that you can hear me, Azula."

Azula pursed her lips. Perhaps she had miscalculated the girl's determination. She seemed to be a persistent one.

But no, that couldn't be it.

Azula never miscalculated.

The waterbender continued. "If you're not going to respond, then, I just guess that I'll do all the talking."

The waterbender paused to let out a breath. "If I'm being honest, I have no idea why I came to see you. I guess that I just felt like I had to, because of the others," she said. "I don't even really know what to say to you. But I guess that I'll start with this-I'm not sorry."

The room was dead silent. To anyone else, it would have been confusing as to what the girl was talking about. But to Azula, the meaning was perfectly clear.

"I'm not sorry that you were sent here, that I was the one who caused it. I don't regret my actions. But I hope that you do."

Events of that night came back to Azula. Challenging her brother to an Agni Kai, and shooting lightning at the waterbender, only to have her brother step in front of it, saving the girl. They flashed in her mind, and she shook her head to rid them from her brain.

Azula heard the girl shift positions. "Sometimes, I like to think about what might have happened if we all made a different choice. Like if I never left the South Pole. Or if Aang never forgave himself and never learned to firebend." She paused again. "Or even if you had made different choices, ones that wouldn't have made you end up here. Like this," she added quietly.

Azula's face showed no emotion as she listened to the girl's speech. She didn't often think back to all the choices she had made in her life. She didn't need to. That's how she was taught. That whatever she chose, no matter how extreme, it was right. All choices, though, have consequences.

"But then there's people like your brother," the waterbender said. "He made the wrong choices in the beginning, but then he changed. He started making the right ones, and now he is where he is today. And I feel like _you _could do the same, if-"

Azula couldn't take it any longer. She had to say something. And she did.

"No. I am _nothing _like my brother," she said fiercely, but maintaining her calm exterior. "I never will be," she added. Nobody else would be able to tell that her voice got just a tiny bit softer. Nobody but Azula.

Azula then turned around to face the girl. She looked exactly as she remembered her. Blue robes, dark hair and skin, cerulean eyes showing the slightest hint of defiance, if you looked hard enough. But there was something in the girl that was a bit different than what Azula remembered.

Confidence.

The girl held her head high, nothing showing that she was afraid, or nervous. As Azula studied her, she noticed that the waterbender looked very grown up. Most of her baby fat had left, her cheekbones were more pronounced.

Time does that.

The two girls faced each other, studying the changes that had occurred in both. Some good, others not.

"I never said you were like Zuko," the waterbender softly. "I do have something from him, though. A message. For you."

Azula's eyebrow raised.

"He wants you to know that he's sorry."

Azula didn't move. But she did say one single word.

"Leave."

Katara would have normally stayed. But the way the princess said it, she couldn't even describe all the emotions that could be heard in that single sound. It made her freeze in place. Then she picked herself up and started walking towards the exit, arms wrapped around herself.

Azula closed her eyes and tried to even her breathing. Tried to rest her wildly beating heart. She started to meditate, closing out everything sound, focusing on her breath. But she did happen to catch what the waterbender said as she parted.

"Your mind needs healing, Azula. A lot of it. But your heart needs it even more."

For the first time in Azula's life, she completely agreed with a peasant.

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**A/N: I realize that I could have went on with Toph, but I had to keep the ball rolling... So here you go! This chapter was a jerk to me, and I don't feel like it's my best. But oh well, I'll let you guys be the judge of that!**

**Thanks to all who followed, favorited, reviewed, or read!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Don't own it**

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**Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,**  
**And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,**  
**Do not go gentle into that good night.**

**_Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night_, By Dylan Thomas**

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**Visitor 4**

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One of the main reasons why Azula hated being in her cell, other than the obvious, was the guards. They stood in a circle and talked about her. As if she couldn't hear them, or wasn't even there at all.

At the moment, three guards were there, on the opposite side of the bars. Their keys jangled from where they were hooked onto the guards' uniform. Azula could hear their conversation clear as day. The guards simply didn't care.

Azula desperately wanted to be able to tune them out. It would be silly to wish that she didn't have such sharp hearing, yet sometimes she did. Like right then, for instance. They conversed without a care about the one thing she absolutely _didn't _want to think about.

Her father.

She clapped her hands over her ears to drown out their voices. Her eyes were shut so tight that it was painful. It helped. But, just barely, she could still hear them.

Blocking her ears did muffle the sound of their talking, but it couldn't stop the sound of the large door at the end of the hallway when it was opened.

_Great, _Azula thought sarcastically, _Another visitor. But who will it be this time?_

She got her answer as a man clad entirely in blue strolled into view. He was clearly Water Tribe, for he had that arrogant smirk that all the male specimen of the Tribes had. His boisterous footsteps stopped when he stood right across from her. She didn't know who he was. Then he locked eyes with her.

His eyes were the exact shade of blue as the waterbender's. She recognized him now. The sibling of the waterbender girl, who traveled with the Avatar also. The so called 'warrior'. A non-bender.

She didn't know how she knew that the two were siblings. Maybe it was that upon studying their relationship when they encountered each other, they reminded her of how it once was for her and her brother. Before everything else had happened. Before their family was destroyed.

The man looked at Azula for a moment. Then turned to the guards. He waved his hand, dismissing them. Surprisingly, they did. The 'warrior' appeared to have gained some respect in the past years. She briefly remembered his name. Sock? Zokka? Either way, it didn't matter now.

The guards left without a word. Azula watched as the man reached for a bag tied to his belt. He pulled out a few brown strips of something. She couldn't tell what it was. Then the smell hit her. It was meat.

He brought one strip to his mouth and took a bite. It must not be very tender, for he had to yank it away from his mouth. He chewed a few times, then swallowed loudly. Then he held it out to her.

"Want some?" the tribesman asked.

Azula just looked at him.

"I guess not," he said. He took another bite. He continued as he chewed. "You know, nobody appreciates meat anymore. I can't even say the word 'meat' around Aang. What a sad place this world has become." He waved his hand full of meat strips around in the air to prove his point.

He finished off the other two strips, then dug in his bag for more. He took out three more pieces and stuffed then in his mouth greedily. He moaned as he savored the taste.

Azula glared. "That's disgusting," she commented, wrinkling her nose.

Her visitor seemed surprised that she had spoken. "Well," he said accusingly, " not everyone could grow up as royalty and have perfect manners."

"That's right," Azula said. "You grew up dirty little village, pretending to be a warrior. You should leave that to the benders," she added.

That extremely offended him. "I can still fight!" he yelled indignantly, grabbing at his boomerang.

Azula rolled her eyes. An uncomfortable silence settled. He went back to eating his snack, she suddenly became very interested in the lock on the cell.

He noticed her staring at it. His lips turned into a smug smirk. "I designed that myself," he said proudly. "It's impossible to pick those locks."

She raised an eyebrow. _We'll just have to see about that, _she thought.

The man suddenly looked sad as his face fell. He looked to be in deep thought. Then he spoke.

"My whole like I have been like that. I invent new things; always looking towards the future. Not paying attention to the past. I didn't realize all the grief and pain that has been around me until awhile ago. I've tried to ignore it. Like with my mother. And my," his voice faltered, "first girlfriend.

"And with my sister, too. I never knew how much some things killed her until now. I never knew that she had nightmares, or cried herself to sleep. Even when the war was over and everything was supposed to be better, she was still in pain. And I never knew."

Azula kept staring at the lock. His speech was making her more uncomfortable by the minute. But it's not like she can go anywhere.

The man didn't have anything else to say. He started to leave. Azula didn't look up. The tribesmen then stopped, and turned back, stepping up to the cell again. He pulled something out of his back and set it on the floor. He stepped back.

"At least take this advice, Azula. Don't do what I did. Because you will regret it."

After he left, Azula stared at the strip of meat for a_ very _long time.

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**A/N: Yeah, I don't like this one very much... That's all.**

** .101: Good point! Resisting the drug would be what we all expect(and know) Azula would do. But where will that get her? She would be captured again and be put in the same place as she is now. Skipping her meals wouldn't do any good either if the drug is administered to her food. She may want to be able to firebend, but she wants to live even more, as you will see soon. The best way to gain her bending and her freedom back would be getting out, but not by force. By being let out by Zuko. So she needs to behave in order for that to happen... I hope I cleared this up for you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

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**Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight**  
**Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,**  
**Rage, rage against the dying of the light.**

**_Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night_, By Dylan Thomas**

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**Visitor 5**

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Azula knew she was changing.

All of those visits from the Avatar and his friends did something to her mind. Each and every one of them stuck in her brain, from what they acted like, what they looked like, and what they said.

All of them had given her something. A miniscule piece of information that stayed with her, that made her think.

She could play back all of her visits perfectly, not one detail out of place. She didn't like it.

Those visits were what Azula wanted to forget the most.

But she couldn't. Maybe it was that her mind was too exceptional, too precocious. Or maybe she just wasn't trying hard enough.

Yet, Azula always gave her hardest. It was puzzling.

She was taken from her thoughts when she heard giggling.

_Giggling._

That could only mean one person. Or, in this case, two.

Azula wasn't surprised that she could hear the laughter even with the thick walls and door that separated Azula from the other side. The giggling got louder as they door opened slightly. When it was fully open, the laughter stopped altogether.

Standing there, with multiple guards with them, were Mai and Ty Lee.

Azula's face remained placid, but her head was spinning.

Why would they, her two friends that betrayed her, come to see her? Was it because they used to be so close? Or was it out of pity, out of guilt?

Azula didn't find herself very angry, though, Maybe a bit, but not very much. But looking at the two of them, Azula realized why she wasn't blowing up at them, why she was almost eager to have them there.

She was lonely.

Mai and Ty Lee hadn't changed much. Mai was still, possibly more, strikingly beautiful. Her quiet, observant ways from before were still there. She would probably sigh soon, too.

Ty Lee was Ty Lee. Bubbly, enthusiastic, happy. But there was also more awareness in her large gray eyes.

They didn't move. They just stood there and looked at her.

Mai And Ty Lee couldn't believe what they saw.

Azula, their fierce, determined, powerful ex-leader, was behind bars.

They shared a look, then stepped forward. Right up to the bars. They were face-to-face with the Princess.

To Mai and Ty Lee, it was like Azula was almost a different person. She looked terrible. If they hadn't known better, it seemed as if Azula had been broken. But because of her eyes, they knew she wasn't.

Her golden eyes still burned. They blazed like the element of her nation, burning into her ex-friends' souls. Mai almost shivered at the intensity. Ty Lee did.

Azula wished they would say something, anything, to break the silence between them. She hated being under Mai's hard, scrutinizing gaze, and Ty Lee's worried, innocent look. She used to not mind being stared at.

But things could change.

Not being able to stand it any longer, Azula spoke.

"Mai," she said, "Ty Lee."

It was like old times. Azula was the leader, so she was always first, with her friends following her lead. And they did.

"Azula," Mai intoned. Ty Lee gave a small wave.

"Why are you here?" Azula asked. She knew they certainly weren't there to become friends again.

Ty Lee answered, "We wanted to see how you were doing."

Azula snorted. "Ha!" she laughed, "Right. You are just here out of guilt. Guilt because you betrayed me. Betrayed the Fire Nation," she spat.

Those were the words Azula had wanted to say to them since that day.

Mai's eyes flashed. "We did what was right," she said quietly, but forcefully. Ty Lee only nodded.

"We heard about Ozai," Ty Lee stated.

Of course they had heard. The whole world had heard. And no one was trying to stop it.

Three days. Just seventy-two hours until her father would be incinerated. And probably a week until the same thing would happen to her.

Azula didn't reply.

She was too busy accepting her fate.

It was just like what the little Earthbender had said. It was inevitable. Azula was going to die.

And there was nothing she could do to save herself this time.

Ty Lee didn't notice that was the case. But Mai did. The noble stepped forward again, even closer to Azula now. She looked her right in the eyes, something she would have never done when Azula had been her leader.

But that was then. Mai didn't take orders from anyone now.

Mai spoke quietly, so Ty Lee couldn't hear what she was saying. Her words were just between herself and the Fire Princess.

"We've seen your father," she said. "He has already accepted that he is going to die, just like what you are going to do." Mai paused. "But you can't. You have to fight, Azula. You have to rage," she told her.

"Don't let them beat you," she whispered.

Then she stepped away, walking towards the door. Azula expected Ty Lee to follow right away. But Ty Lee didn't she stood in front of Azula, watching her and biting her lower lip.

Mai noticed that her friend wasn't behind her. "Come on, Ty Lee," she ordered.

Azula studied her old friend, feeling that the acrobat wanted to say something.

But Ty Lee just nodded.

And then both of Azula's visitors were gone.

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**A/N: Sorry for the wait. I've been a bit busy.**

**...Yeah, I probably should have used Toph for this one. I feel like the stanza would fit better with her...Oh well.**

**Only one chapter left! **

**Thanks to everyone who favorites, follows, reviews, and reads!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

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**And you, my father, there on the sad height,**  
**Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.**  
**Do not go gentle into that good night.**  
**Rage, rage against the dying of the light.**

**_Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night_, By Dylan Thomas**

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**Visitor 6**

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Although she didn't have much sense of time, Azula knew that the day had come.

The day her father would be executed. And, possibly, she along with him.

When she woke up, there was a pile of clothes sitting in the corner. Azula immediately sat up, stretched, and walked over to the clothes. Picking them up, she felt the material. Silk. The finer kind, too. The kind made just for royals.

Azula picked up the articles of clothing, and looked around. Two guards were on duty. Was she expected to change into her new attire? In front of these men, who leered at her body when they thought she wasn't looking?

It was obvious that she was not going to get any privacy. But Azula decided that she would not be intimidated by them. She stripped down to her bindings and put her new clothes on. She wadded her old outfit into a ball.

The Fire Princess looked down to find a tie for her hair. She hadn't done it in forever, but her hands remembered the movements. With practiced ease she pulled two raven locks, one from each side, down from her head to frame her face. She had no mirror, but Azula expected that she looked exactly as she had years before. Older, but still the same.

Her knew clothes meant that she would be attending the execution. She was surprised at that. Azula expected to have to sit in her cell, listening for her father's cries and imagining his body, which would be up in flames. It was much crueler, to have her watch her sire die.

Fastening her armor on her shoulders, Azula heard the door open. The visitor was silent as they walked to her cell. Azula rolled her eyes at the wall. Who would it be this time? She didn't think that the Avatar had anyone left in his group of hooligans.

She wasn't facing the bars of the cell, but she could tell that the visitor was standing right outside. They seemed to have brought more guards with them. Azula could hear more voices whispering in the background.

She smoothed down her skirt as she waited.

"Hello, Azula."

Azula's eyes widened. She couldn't believe it.

It was her brother.

The one who took the throne from her. The one who hadn't come to see her in two years.

She composed herself, making her face inexpressive. Then she turned to face him.

They immediately locked eyes, gold on gold. Keeping the stare, Azula walked forward so they only had the bars to separate them. She refused to look away, and Zuko's eyes narrowed. Her brother broke their stare and nodded at one of the guards. The guard moved forward and unlocked the cell, pushing the sliding bars aside.

Azula stood motionless as she looked at the opening. What was happening? Was she being let out? Or did her brother decide that her time was up?

Zuko motioned for her to come forward. She quickly stepped out, trying not to seem eager.

But she was. She hadn't seen anything but gray walls in two years. She wanted to breathe in fresh air, to see the green grass. She wanted to feel the sun on her face.

As she followed her brother to the exit, she passed one of the guards who stood and watched while she switched outfits. So, she took the wad of clothes and shoved it into his stomach. Hard. She smirked as the heard a low groan come from behind her.

Azula thought she would at least be getting out of the prison. But her brother was taking her down, below the prison. The tunnels that they walked through were lit with small torches on the wall. Azula stared at the flames.

"Where are you taking us, brother?" she asked to Zuko's back. He didn't reply, which irritated Azula.

Finally, they came to another door. It was much like the one that led into her cell. A guard that was stationed there unlocked the door. Zuko walked in.

Azula froze. Was this what Zuko had in mind? To take her from one cell to the next?

A guard behind her told her to walk forward. Azula shook her head lightly, and walked in.

Azula was horrified at what she saw.

Zuko had taken her to her Ozai's cell.

The ex Fire Lord sat on the ground in the corner. He was a sickly pale color. His hair was graying slightly. As she tentatively stepped forward to join Zuko, she watched as her father's eyes tried to follow her movements, but couldn't and rolled back into his head.

For the first time, Azula let her face show a hint of emotion. She couldn't contain her shock.

She was breathing hard as she turned to Zuko, asking her question with her eyes.

_Why?_

But he only replied, "I'll leave you be for a moment," and walked to the door.

Azula turned back to her father and immediately got down on her knees into a bow. "Father," she said.

Ozai didn't reply.

Azula lifted her head to look at him. Ozai just looked up at the ceiling. His breathing was hard.

"Father," Azula said again, more urgent. But, he didn't pay attention to her. It was like he didn't even know she was there.

As much as Azula didn't want to admit it, she knew what was happening. She never thought it would, though.

Ozai had given up.

He knew he was going to die. His bending and his throne were gone. He had nothing left to live for.

"No, no, no," Azula whispered. Shaking, she stood up, fists clenched.

"No," she said fiercely. "You can't do this!"

This time Ozai did look at her. But his eyes were glazed over. They flickered back and forth, not recognizing her. He opened his mouth, and all that came out was a low moan.

Azula was almost on the verge of tears. How cold her father give up? That's not the kind of person she knew him to be. She wanted the old Ozai back.

She wanted her father back.

A tear slipped down her cheek. Followed by another. Then they just kept coming, streaming down her face as she sob. Then, she broke.

"No!" she screamed at him. "You can't let them do this. You have to fight! You have to do something, anything!" she sobbed.

"Please," she whispered, grabbing onto the bars and resting her forehead on them.

She knew there was nothing she could do. Ozai was done, and that was that.

So Azula decided that she was done too.

She stepped back and wiped her face on her sleeve. Then she walked away. And she didn't look back.

Zuko was waiting outside the door. He watched her as she came out, his eyes saying everything she didn't want to hear.

_I'm sorry._

She walked next to him as they went back through the tunnels. She held her head down, not wanting her brother to see the tears that slipped down her face.

She was taken back to her cell. As soon as she walked in, Azula made her way to her cot and laid down, curling up into a ball.

The last thing she saw before she fell asleep was her brother sitting on the ground in front of her cell.

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Some time later, Azula woke up to the sound of her cell being opened again. She stayed where she was.

A guard walked in. "We are to escort you to the Royal Plaza, per Fire Lord Zuko's wishes."

Azula sighed and got up. She took a moment to smooth down her hair and attire, then walked to the guard and held her wrists out. She winced as her hands were roughly shackled. She was then led out, a trail out guards following her.

The Royal Plaza wasn't far from the prison, yet she was taken in a palanquin. It was obviously Zuko's idea. And for that, Azula was grateful. It would spare her the glares of the citizens who now hated her.

The palanquin stopped, and Azula was promptly helped out. She was led into a small side building and taken up to a balcony that overlooked the plaza. Zuko stood, looking over the side at his people. The sun was setting.

Azula stood next to her brother, who gave her a nod of acknowledgment.

Azula looked over the edge. A sea of red surrounded the grounds. The people made a circle around the center of the plaza, which held a large vertical beam in the center, with pieces of wood near at the bottom.

She rested her hands on the rail. They had become red and tired from the shackles. Zuko noticed this, and motioned called for a guard to take them off, much to Azula's surprise. He brother trusted her enough to stand right next to her without anything to protect himself.

When the sky became a reddish-pink, a horn was sounded. The people were silent as Ozai was led out to the center of the circle. The sea of red parted for him. Many of the people were yelling out insults and spitting at him, but he didn't seem to care.

Azula held her breath as her father was shackled onto the beam. She watched as a Fire Sage stepped forward, a scroll in hand. He said a few words, and then proceeded to name off Ozai's crimes.

The Fire Nation citizens were silent as the Fire Sage stepped away and the Firing Squad took his place. The elite team of firebenders made a small circle around Ozai.

Azula watched as they performed various intricate movements. It was a ritual, she realized. Then, one of the firebenders gave a shout, and they fired.

And Ozai was up in flames.

Cheers erupted from all around, loud and joyous. Azula and Zuko were silent, though, as they watched their father through flames.

Azula had thought that Ozai would scream. But he was silent. The smoke rose, and a long with it, the smell of burning flesh. Azula though she would be sick.

Breathing hard, Azula closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the rest. She waited and waited as the cheers grew louder.

Finally, she heard her brother say, "It's over."

She opened her eyes. The fire was still going, as were the cheers, but Ozai was gone.

She turned to Zuko, who was watching the fire intently. The sun was almost gone.

She looked back to the fire and whispered, "I don't want to die." From the corner of her eye she saw Zuko look at her.

"I don't want you to, either," he replied.

And then he grabbed her hand, and held on tight.

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**A/N: The end.**

** Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! It means a lot!**


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